


Nico di Angelo was a Hufflepuff, and Will Solace was a Ravenclaw

by thebluesideofmyworld (myblueworld)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25069885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myblueworld/pseuds/thebluesideofmyworld
Summary: Nico di Angelo and Will Solace were students in Hogwarts. Nico was sorted into Hufflepuff and Will was sorted into Ravenclaw. But it didn't mean that they couldn't be friends. It didn't mean that they couldn't spend a lot of time together.
Relationships: Mitchell/Connor Stoll, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 42
Kudos: 163





	1. The First Year

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on which houses that Nico and Will would be sorted in to if they had been students in Hogwarts. To be honest, even though I used to like the Harry Potter universe a lot when I was younger, I kind of have forgotten so many things and details about it. For some reason, I was a bit hesitant about posting this fic even though I have finished writing 4 out of the 5 chapters that I have planned. But I decided that posting it would be better than just leave it unseen by others on my laptop.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy it :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Nico's first year in Hogwarts and he was sorted in to Ravenclaw while the first friend that he had in Hogwarts was sorted in to Ravenclaw.

*******

Nico di Angelo was sorted into Hufflepuff and Will Solace was sorted into Ravenclaw.

At first, into which house the first friend he made in Hogwarts would be sorted in to meant nothing to Nico. As a first-year student, just like most other first-year students, he was more worried about which house The Sorting Hat would put _him_ in to. His father was in Slytherin. So even though no one told him that he had to be in the same house as his father, he felt like there was this expectation that he would be sorted in to Slytherin too. Even though Hazel seemed to believe that Nico had more Hufflepuff qualities than Slytherin’s, there was this nagging thought inside his head thinking that he should be in Slytherin. 

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed at all when The Sorting Hat shouted Hufflepuff as his house. But when he walked to the table where the students were cheering for him, he tried to smile at his new friends. Then he glanced at the blond boy that he met at the train and introduced himself as Will Solace.

(“ _It's William but only my mom calls me William and it’s only when I am in trouble”, the blond kid with the bright smile told him.)_

Will waved at him along with a smile, mouthing a silent congratulations. Nico returned his smile and for a fleeting second hoped that Will would be a Hufflepuff too. He seemed to fit in Hufflepuff, unlike Nico. Regardless of what Hazel said, regardless of what the Sorting Hat decided, Nico still found it hard to believe that he is in Hufflepuff. But _Will_. Will would definitely fit in Hufflepuff.

But then, The Sorting Hat made a decision that Will Solace was in Ravenclaw. And no, Nico would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed at all as he watched Will walked with wide steps to the table where students in blue and silver welcome him with smiles and clapped hands. Then again, Nico remembered the conversation they had in the train where Will annoyingly rambled about different spells that you can use to heal broken bones, depends on which bones and how bad it is. So well, maybe, just maybe, Will fitted more in Ravenclaw instead of in Hufflepuff.

( _Will’s ramble was annoying but at the same time, Nico thought that it was somehow adorable but no, Nico would **never** let anyone knew about that stupid, silly thought _)

Dinner was over and all the students get up from their seats. Nico went with the other Hufflepuff students and Will walked with the other Ravenclaw students. When their eyes met, Will waved at him again and smiled.

“I’ll see you around, Nico!” he said, voice loud enough to be heard even with the noises from students trying to follow their Prefects. 

Nico only waves back. Another new Hufflepuff student ( _Mitchell? Michael? Mickey_?) grabbed the sleeve of his rob, making him turn his head.

“Come on, Nico,” the boy with the brown hair pulled Nico’s sleeve. “Let’s follow Beckendorf.”

Nico nodded, walking next to the boy (he still couldn’t remember the boy’s name but he’s pretty sure that it’s either Mitchell or Mickey) following their head students (Nico couldn’t really remember the name of the girl with the pretty smile, Selena? Silena? But he knew that the other head student’s name was Charles Beckendorf) to their House.

And that’s how Nico’s first day end: The Sorting Hat decided that Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw.

But the fact that Will Solace was in Ravenclaw meant nothing to Nico. The last thing that he had before he falls asleep in his bed was only what would his father think of Nico being in Hufflepuff while his father used to be one of the best Slytherin students.

 _Bianca would have been in Slytherin_ , Nico thought. But Bianca wasn’t in Hogwarts.

( _Nico would like to think that Bianca is in Heaven now. Even if he’s not sure there were such things as Heaven and Hell, he would like to think that Bianca was in a place where she’s happy and no longer in pain_ ).

***

Nico di Angelo was sorted into Hufflepuff and Will Solace was sorted into Ravenclaw. But on his first day of classes, Nico learned that even though they were in different houses, they were together in some classes.

It’s the first day of the Transfiguration class, and Nico was already sitting with Mitchell next to him.

( _“It’s Mitchell, Nico, not Mickey, but it’s okay, you’re not the first one calling me by the wrong name”, Mitchell said_ ). 

Nico heard the door at the back of the classroom opened and he heard the voices of students talking. But it’s Mitchell’s voice that makes him realize who are the people coming in.

“Oh, we’re with Ravenclaw!” Mitchell exclaimed.

Nico’s brows raised as he turned the upper-half of his body. And his eyes meet the blue eyes of Will Solace’s. Will’s smile lightens up his face as he walks to where Nico is sitting. Another boy is walking just a half-step behind Will. 

“Hey, Nico!” Will said. “Can we sit here?” he asked, gesturing to the chairs and tables behind Nico and Mitchell. 

“Yeah, sure!” Nico answered. He fleetingly wondered why he sounded so excited but hey, Will was the first friend that he made here in this school so of course he should be excited, right?

“Great!” Will said, sliding down to sit on the chair behind Mitchell, so he was sitting diagonally from Nico. The other boy that followed Will sat down on the chair behind Nico.

Mitchell’s eyes darted from Will and Nico with interest. “You guys know each other?”

“Oh, yeah,” Nico said. “Mitchell, this is Will. We met on the train last night.”

“Hi, Mitchell,” Will said, offering his hand to Mitchell for a handshake. “I’m Will, and this is Cecil. Cecil, this is Nico, the boy that I was telling you about last night?” 

The boy that Will introduced as Cecil grinned and gave a mock salute to them, “Hiya, there,” he said. “Cecil Markowitz, at your service.”

“I am so glad that we’re in this class together,” Will said, folding his arms over the table and leaned forward. “What do you have after this?”

“We will have Potion, I believe.” 

Will let out a small disappointed groan. “We have Charms. What do you have after lunch?”

“Defense Against Dark Arts.” This time it was Mitchell who answered the question. 

Will’s eyes lit up. “Great! Same with us!”

“We can save you a seat if you want to,” Mitchell said. He turned his head a little at Nico. “Right, Nico?”

“Yeah, sure. We can do that.”

“Thanks!”

Will’s smile was a genuine one and for a second, Nico got distracted by how the way the morning sunlight fell on Will’s hair made it glow.

“Good morning, class.” 

Professor Athena’s stern voice made Nico and the others quickly sat straight in their seats. But as she started to talk about things that she expected them to learn throughout this semester, Nico glanced at Will. Will was looking at Professor Athena, his quill between his fingers. Then Will’s eyes caught him. The left corner of Will’s lips quirked up into a half-smile.

Nico quickly looked back at his Transfiguration textbook.

Will’s half-smile flashed in his mind. And he felt strangely breathless.

Nico di Angelo was sorted into Hufflepuff and Will Solace was sorted into Ravenclaw. But they had some classes together so Will could teach Potions to Nico ( _because Will was much better in explaining it than Professor Hecate_ ). And as an exchange, Nico let Will copied his homework for History of Magic.

*******


	2. The Second Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Nico's second year in Hogwarts and he's still friends with Will, even though Nico was in Hufflepuff and Will was in Ravenclaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

*******

Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw.

This fact, of course, didn’t change in their second year in Hogwarts. But it also didn’t change that they have become friends. That’s why Will was the first person that Nico trying to look for when he got to the Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. As he walked through other students in the crowded platform, he tried to spot the mop of blond hair, while at the same time, making sure that Hazel was still right next to him. 

But it was Will who found him first.

‘Nico! Hey, NICO!”

Nico quickly turned around to where the familiar voice coming from. A smile made its way to his lips as he watched Will making his way to him.

“Nico! I’ve been looking for you!” Will called as he rushed towards Nico. A huge grin planted on his face. Once he was closed enough, Will pulled him into a quick hug. It sent an electric jolt down Nico’s spine. But since it was a quick hug, Nico luckily didn’t have the time to think too much about it. And Will already talked to him so quickly, words tumbling down from him like a flood.

“I’ve missed you! I have so much to tell you! And yeah I know that you’ve replied to my letters but I need more stories from you! What have you been doing during the summer? How have you been?”

Nico blinked. After a rather quiet and uneventful summer at home, Will’s excitement was a bit overwhelming for him. Then he felt Hazel tugged the sleeve of his sweater.

“Nico? Who is he?”

Will seemed to just realize the presence of Hazel next to him. He turned his head to Hazel, and gave her a friendly smile.

“Hey! Are you his sister? Nico has told me a lot about you.” Will turned his head back at Nico. “She’s your sister, right? The one that you said is also going to Hogwarts this year?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah. Will, this is Hazel. Hazel, this is Will. He’s in Ravenclaw.”

Will extended his hand to Hazel, that Hazel took for a quick handshake.

“Hey, Hazel! Nice to see you!”

Hazel smiled. “Nice to see you too, Will. Nico was always so excited when your owl arrived at our house with your letter.”

Nico felt the tips of his ears heated.

“Oh, was he?” Will asked, a bit teasingly. “Well, nice to know that me rambling about my summer was quite an entertainment for him.”

Will didn’t give a chance for Nico to come up with a reply to that. “Hey, I asked Cecil to save us some seats in a compartment. Hazel, you can also sit with us if you want to.”

Hazel’s eyes widened. “Really? That would be great! Thanks!”

“Sure. Here, let me help you with that,” Will said, reaching out to take one of Hazel’s bag. “Come on. Let’s get on the train.”

Didn’t take long for them to find the compartment, where Cecil was already waiting for them. They spent the long hours on the trip talking about their summer and what they’ve heard about their other friends. They also played some cards game that Cecil had with him. At one point at the trip, Will and Cecil fell asleep. Nico sleepily watched Will, sleeping with his head leaned on the compartment wall. Hazel nudged him a little.

“I like him. He’s nice,” she whispered at Nico.

“Who? Will?”

“Uh-huh.” Hazel hummed. “Is he your best friend?” She asked.

Nico smiled a little, keeping his eyes at Will who was still sleeping peacefully. “Yeah,” he said, nodding his head. “He’s my best friend.”

Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw. And they were best friends who were about to start their second year in Hogwarts.

*******

Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw. But they were best friends. And best friends supported each other. That was why Nico sat down patiently on the bleacher while waiting for the tryouts to be finished. Judging from the scarves and the robes of the people watching the tryouts, most, if not all, were Ravenclaw students. Thankfully, Mitchell agreed to go with him to watch the tryout, so Nico wasn’t the only Hufflepuff student there. Some second-year Ravenclaw students that Nico know from classes were also in the Quidditch pitch. Even from where he was sitting, Nico could hear how those students were cheering for Will, even though Will wasn’t the only second-year student doing the try-out.

“Hufflepuff’s tryout is next week, right?” Mitchell asked him.

Nico shrugged his shoulders, keeping his eyes at the students doing the tryouts. “I guess?”

“What? Don’t tell me that you’re not doing the tryout!”

Nico spared a glance at Mitchell before staring back at the sky. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not going to do it? The tryouts?” Mitchell asked in disbelief.

“Why should I?”

“Why wouldn’t you? Nico! For someone who’s as good as you, it will be such a shame if you’re not, at least, do the tryouts!”

Nico shrugged his shoulders again. His father was a team captain back when he was a Slytherin student. That’s why he taught Nico Quidditch at a very young age. And Nico did like Quidditch. He enjoyed watching the games, and in mini-games that he played with his cousins, he enjoyed being the Seeker. It wasn’t like Nico never thought of joining the team. He’s just not really sure that he would be good enough for the House Team.

“Please tell me that you would at least, think about it!” Mitchell said.

Nico gave him a non-committal humming. The students doing the tryouts were already back on the ground, listening to Jake Mason, the Ravenclaw Team Captain, giving some last few words. It didn’t take long, as they started to disperse.

Nico stayed in his seat. He watched as Will was walking while talking to Carter Kane, another Ravenclaw student. Then Will lifted his head up, and saw Nico. Even from the distance, Nico could see Will’s smile that just lightened up. Will said something to Carter, patted his shoulders, and started walking faster to where Nico and Mitchell were sitting.

Some of the second-year students called Will. Will waved at them strode to the bleacher where Nico and Mitchell were.

“Hey,” he greeted them, giving them a bright genuine smile. “You guys are here!”

“Of course! I’ve promised you I’d come, right?” Nico said, and tossed a cold Gillywater can at Will that he easily caught.

“Thanks, Neeks,” he said and quickly gulped down the drink. “So,” he said, brushing some of the dripping liquid on his chin with the side of his hand. “What do you guys think?”

“You did great!” Nico said.

“Yup. You did awesome!” Mitchell agreed.

“Thanks. I hope I can make it to the team.”

“Of course, Will! You’re one of the best today!”

Will gave him a soft sincere smile. “Thanks, Nico!”

“I’m just saying the truth.”

“And uh…” Will paused for a second. “Thank you so much for coming. It really means a lot to have you here.”

Nico grinned. “Hey, we’re best friends, right? And best friends support each other.”

“Yeah. When is your tryouts, by the way?” Will asked, tossing the now-empty can to a nearby trash bin.

“Uh, sometimes next week?”

“Oh, Will, PLEASE tell Nico to do the tryouts!”

“What?” Will’s head quickly turned to Mitchell and then back to Nico, with a small frown on his face. “Wait. What do you mean?”

“Uh…”

Mitchell let out a huff. “He’s not planning on doing the tryouts.”

“What???” Will stared at Nico, looking completely confused. “But, why?”

Nico kept his eyes at the tip of his shoes as he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know if I can make it to the team.”

“Of course you can!” Will grabbed Nico’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Come on, Neeks! Please? It won’t be fun without you.”

Nico snorted and glanced up at Will. “We’re not even in the same House, Will.”

“Yeah, but I mean…” Will stopped and sighed. “Come on, Neeks. You know that you like Quidditch. And I know that you’re good. Come on. Please?”

The pleading tone in Will’s voice made Nico lifted his head up, meeting Will’s eyes. The blue eyes stared back at him.

“Please, Nico. I know that you like Quidditch a lot. I know that you like to play. So please do it. For me?”

Something squeezed Nico’s heart and for reasons that he didn’t understand, he felt that yeah, it wouldn’t hurt to od the tryout. And hearing Will saying it made it easier for him to believe in himself.

Nico nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll think about it.”

Will’s smile made him strangely breathless.

The next week, he was standing on the Quidditch pitch, listening to Frank Zhang giving instructions about the tryouts. Then he heard a familiar voice shouting his name, cheering his name. He didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know who it was (he would always recognize Will’s voice).

He straightened up his back, and gripped his broomstick tighter. He heard Will’s voice again, shouting his name, followed by other voices also cheering for him (a mix of Cecil and Hazel and Mitchell’s voices, he knew). A quiet small smile crept on his lips.

He could do this.

Just a week after the tryout for Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, Nico was no longer just a regular Hufflepuff student. He’s now the youngest Seeker ever in the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and his best friend, Will Solace, is the new Ravenclaw’s Chaser.

So Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw. But they were best friends. And best friends supported each other, even if they’re playing for different teams.

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed!  
> 2\. Meet me o Tumblr: thebluesideofmyworld


	3. The Third Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's their third year. And sometimes, the fact that Nico was in Hufflepuff and Will was in Ravenclaw didn't really make sense. But maybe that's just how it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I don't have any other excuse for being late in posting this other than real life sucks but writing this somehow keeps me sane in the insane world of work-life so I hope that at least you enjoy this chapter.  
> 2\. Ha! This time I double-checked whether I wrote their Houses correctly in the Chapter Summary :p

*******

Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw. Sometimes it felt like that’s just how the way it should be, but there’re times when it also didn’t really make sense.

The two of them were sitting in the Room of Requirement, trying to work on their Dark Arts essays. Well, at least Nico was trying. And he thought that Will was also writing his essay, until Will asked him a weird question.

“Do you think it makes sense?”

Nico kept on writing on his scroll. “What do you mean? The fact that Mitchell’s boggart was himself wearing that hideous clothes? I think it showed that his biggest fear was being judged only by what he’s wearing.”

Will chuckled. “Well, I wasn’t talking about that, but yeah, I think you had a point there. About Mitchell’s fear, I mean.”

Nico hummed but kept on writing. He just needed 3 more inches of writing and then he would be done with this essay on how to kill a drakon.

“But actually, it wasn’t what I ask about.”

Nico raised his eyebrows, then he glanced at Will who was sitting in front of him, separated by the dark wooden table.

“What do you mean, then?”

Will’s lips thinned into a line and then he let out a huff. “I mean, does it make sense to you? This whole Houses thing?”

Nico scrunched his eyebrows, stared at Will with confusion.

“I mean, why do they put us in different Houses? Why did that Sorting Hat put me in Ravenclaw and you in Hufflepuff? What is it that makes a student fits in one House but not in the other House?”

Nico chewed his lower lip, thinking about what Will said. He just realized that after he got sorted, he never really pondered about it. Yes, he was a bit disappointed that he was sorted into Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, but he realized that it was just because he had this thought that since his father was a Slytherin, he was also expected to be a Slytherin too. But then he got sorted into Hufflepuff and Hazel was in Gryffindor so he thought that family lineage didn’t really play a role anyway about the sorting things.

“I thought that The Sorting Hat does it based on the qualities that we have.” Nico tried to answer, even though it didn’t really sound like an answer.

“But what if someone has the qualities of two houses instead of just one? Or what if they have the qualities for all the Houses? Like, people always say that Ravenclaw is for the smart ones. You are smart. Why can’t you be in Ravenclaw?”

Nico raised his eyebrows, but it looked like Will hasn’t finished yet.

“And your sister! Yeah, I do think she fits in Gryffindor but she can also be a Hufflepuff. She’s sweet and caring, just like you-“

“You think I’m sweet?”

Will paused for a second, looked a bit taken aback like he didn’t realize what he just said. But then he blinked and he shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah. I mean… You’re one of the most caring people I’ve ever known.”

“Will-“

“Anyway. Just like what I said. You’re _smart_. Why can’t you be in Ravenclaw? Or the other way around, why can’t _I_ be in Hufflepuff?”

“Why would you _want_ to be in Hufflepuff?”

“Why _can’t_ I be in Hufflepuff?”

“Will, you’re too smart to be in Hufflepuff-“

“HA! That’s exactly what I mean! This whole thing of sorting us into Houses tend to make us fall into this… this imaginary boxes. Like, who said that smart people only sorted into Ravenclaw? You are smart but you’re not in Ravenclaw. I know some students in Hufflepuff that are very brave but why do people only see the Gryffindors are the brave ones? And why do people always say that ohhh… Slytherin people are those with a dark mind and you shouldn’t trust them as they always have ulterior motives behind them. Take Piper, for example, she’s one of the most genuine people I’ve known yet she was sorted into Slytherin.”

Nico stared at Will for a full two seconds before he chuckled. “You know, maybe that’s why you’re in Ravenclaw. You have deep thoughts about things that a lot of people take for granted. You question things that people just take as…you know,” Nico waved his hands vaguely “…you’re questioning things when most people just accept them as that’s just how they are.”

Will let out a sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t even know why suddenly I thought about this. I was trying to work on that essay and then I saw you’re working on it so diligently and then, I thought, hey, you can also be in Ravenclaw and that would be nice because it means that we can be together in the same house-”

“You want _us_ to be in the same house?”

“You don’t want it? I mean, we’re best friends, right? So wouldn’t it be really cool if we were in the same House?”

Something strange fluttered in Nico’s stomach and for reasons he couldn’t understand, Nico felt the tips of his ears were burning. He put down his quill and stood up.

“You know, maybe we need a break. I bet that this Room has some hot chocolates somewhere…” Nico said, glancing around. And of course, a small drink cart suddenly appeared next to the table. Nico smiled when he saw the two mugs on it. He could smell the delicious chocolate as he walked to the tray. He got the two mugs and got back to his chair.

“Here, have some,” he pushed one of the mugs to Will. He took a sip from his own, relishing the way the chocolate warmed him up.

“I just love this room,” Will said, and sighed in contentment after he took another sip from his mug. “It always has the things we need.”

Nico chuckled. “That’s why they call it Room of Requirement.”

“How did you find this room, anyway?”

“One of the ghosts told me,” Nico answered, and took another long sip of the chocolate.

Will didn’t say anything for a while. Then Nico peeked at him from the rim of his cup. Will was staring at him with a soft, gentle look in his eyes. A look that made Nico’s heartbeat went a bit faster.

“What?” He asked, praying that the heat on the back of his neck wouldn’t overtake his whole face.

“Maybe that’s why you’re in Hufflepuff.”

Nico furrowed down his eyebrows a little. He tilted his head to the left, keeping his questioning eyes at Will. “What do you mean?”

“You’re the only one who takes the time to talk with the ghosts.”

“Hey, ghosts have feelings too. They also have stories that they want to tell us.”

Will nodded. “Exactly. And you’re the only one I know who is willing to talk with them. To listen to them. To treat them like the way they want to be treated.”

Nico could feel the heat was now creeping into the tip of his ears. “Well… I mean… I think it’s a nice thing to do?”

Will’s smile was soft and the light that fell on his hair making it glow. “Yeah. That’s why I think you’re sweet and caring. And maybe, that’s why you’re in Hufflepuff.”

Nico really didn’t know what to say to that. So he looked down, and took another sip of his chocolate. The chocolate tasted sweeter. His heart felt warmer. He looked up again, and gave Will a smile.

A fleeting thought crossed Nico’s mind that even though he’s in Hufflepuff and Will was in Ravenclaw, even though they were not together in the same house together, probably in one way or another, they could still be together, they could still have each other.

(As _friends_ , of course. They could still be together, had each other as _best friends_.)

_(Right?)_

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Comments and kudos are like a ray of sunshine for me after the gloomy rain so please bless me with some.  
> 2\. Besides AO3, Tumblr is the another place where I can really be genuinely me so find me there: thebluesidofmyworld  
> 3\. Stay safe and well, people.


	4. The Fourth Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his fourth year in Hogwarts, Nico, a Hufflepuff, learned something about Will, who was as Ravenclaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I wasn't sure whether I should have divided this one into two chapters but I think I might like this way better. I hope you enjoy it :)  
> 2\. Trigger warning: slightly internalized homophobia

*******

It’s their fourth year in Hogwarts, and while so many things have changed, so many things remained the same. Among the things that stayed the same, was their houses. Nico di Angelo was still in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was still in Ravenclaw. That’s one of the things that remained the same ever since their first year. And that’s the reason why they always did their trips to Hogsmeade together.

Ever since they were allowed to go to Hogsmeade in their third year, Nico went there with Mitchell and Will. Sometimes Cecil would also join them. Sometimes Austin or Kayla, other Ravenclaw students who were also Will’s friends would go with them too. But the three of them, Nico, Mitchell and Will were the constant combinations.

That Friday afternoon, they walked out of Astronomy, their last class of the day. Nico let out a long sigh as he fixed the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

“Oh, thank God it’s finally Friday,” he said to Mitchell, who was walking next to him. “I can’t wait until we’re going to Hogsmeade tomorrow.”

“Oh.. Uhm… Yeah. Hogsmeade…”

More than three years of friendship has made Nico could sense even the slightest change in Mitchell’s voice. Including the hesitation lacing his words just now. Nico turned his head to look at Mitchell.

“What is it?”

Mitchell stopped walking. His left hand flew to the back of his neck. “Uhm. About tomorrow? The… Hogsmeade trip?”

Nico kept his eyes at his friend and gave him a single nod. “Yeah. What’s with it? You’re going to Hogsmeade, right?”

Mitchell quickly nodded. “Yeah… Yeah… I’m going.”

“So?”

Mitchell took a deep breath. When he looked back at Nico, there was something in his eyes. A mix of nervousness and hope.

“I mean… I’m going…But… Well, I might not be able to go with you…”

Nico raised his eyebrows. “Huh? What do you mean?”

This time, Nico could totally see the blush on Mitchell’s cheek.

“Well… You know Connor Stoll? From Gryffindor?”

Nico nodded, signaling to Mitchell to continue.

“Well, he… He asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him.”

Nico blinked. It took one or two seconds before he finally came up with a response.

“He asked you out?”

Micthell nodded. A shy smile started to bloom on his lips.

“You mean… Like… Out in a… _date_?”

Mitchell gave him another nod.

“Oh,” Nico said, gripping the strap of his bag. “Okay.”

Mitchell stared at him. “You’re… You’re fine with it, right?”

“Yeah! Of course!”

As Nico stared at his friend, suddenly it clicked. Suddenly everything made sense. The way Mitchell talked about Connor. The way he smiled and his eyes light up whenever Connor came to where they were sitting, only to say hi or to make some stupid small talk about the weather or asking about simple stuff. The way Mitchell stole longing glance at the Gryffindor’s table in the Hall.

“I mean…You… You like him, right?” Nico asked.

Mitchell bit his lower lip but still couldn’t hold back a smile. He looked away from Nico for a second. When he turned around, the blush has made his cheek the same color as a rose.

“Yeah… I guess... I guess I like him.”

“That’s… That’s wonderful! You two… Going out together!”

“Thanks, Nico.”

“Of course!”

“But… You’re really fine with it, right? Me going out with another… boy?”

And then it hit him. Nico had seen a lot of couples going out for a date in Hogsmeade. Heck, he saw couples who were definitely more than friends around the castle. But a boy and another boy as a couple? It’s not something that he saw a lot. Not that it’s something that he’s never seen. Not that it’s something that doesn’t exist here in Hogwarts, or even in the Wizarding world. But still, it’s not something… common.

So he understood the fear lacing Mitchell’s voice.

Deep down inside, it’s a fear that he had too. A fear that he’s been trying to hide. A fear that he’s been trying not to think about.

But right now, it’s not about him and his fear. It’s about his friend. One of his closest friends that he had in Hogwarts.

Nico reached out to squeeze Mitchell’s arm.

“Hey, of course it’s okay. You have my support! As long as you’re with someone you like, and it makes you happy, of course I’m happy for you.”

Mitchell let out a shaky breath and the relief in his smile reflected in his eyes.

“Thanks, Nico. It means a lot.”

*******

A few hours later and Nico was still thinking about it. The more he thought about it, the more it got confusing for him. He was happy for Mitchell. He really did. Mitchel’s looked happy about going out with Connor and there was just something that warmed Nico’s heart to see the genuine smile brightened Mitchell’s face. But he could understand the hidden fear that Mitchell, about what other people might say about it. Nico could understand it and he vowed to himself that he would do anything to stand up for his friend. And it’s not just about Mitchell. This thing about Mitchell, it made the thoughts that he had been trying to ignore started to resurface and haunted him again.

“You have something in your mind,” Will said, pulling Nico back to the library from where his mind was wandering, lost in thoughts.

Nico blinked. “Huh?” he said. “What?”

Will pointed at Nico with his quill. “You. You have something in your mind,” he said. “And it’s bothering you,” he added.

Nico sighed, and put down his quill. He knew that trying to lie to Will would be useless anyway. Will knew him too well, it almost scared him.

“What is it?” Will asked, staring at him with a curious look. “You want to talk about it?”

Nico held his gaze at Will, wondering whether this was also something that he could talk about with Will without being…judged? Nico let out a small groaning sound, annoyed at his own confusion. He didn’t even know what it was exactly that made him hesitant to talk to Will.

“Hey…Hey…” Will seemed to sense Nico’s frustration. He reached out his hand to cover Nico’s, squeezing it a little. “It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Nico’s heart fluttered. ( _No, of course it wasn’t because of how warm Will’s hand over his_ ). He pulled his hand from Will’s, fidgeting with a loose thread from his robe.

While stubbornly kept his eyes at the hem of his robe, Nico mumbled an apology to Will, even though he wasn’t really sure what he was sorry for. Then he carefully lifted his head up. Will was staring at him, blue eyes full of concern.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Will repeated. “But you know that you can talk to me about everything, right? And when I said everything, I really mean everything and anything. Even if it’s just you complaining about how Cerberus deserved a much better treatment.”

It made Nico smiled a little, which Will returned with a bright one.

“Oh, well,” Will said, putting his quill on the table. “Whatever it is that’s bothering you now, maybe the trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow can make you feel better.”

The mention of Hogsmeade made a wave of nervousness hit Nico again.

“Uhm. So. About Hogsmeade….”

Will’s sky blue eyes widened in surprise. “You’re not going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?”

Nico quickly shook his head. “No, no. It wasn’t about me. I mean, I’m still going…”

Will let out a sigh of relief as his shoulders relaxed back. “Oh, great. I thought you’re not going.”

Nico cleared his throat. “Well, _I am_ going. But…” he paused. “ _Mitchell_ ’s not. I mean, he’s not going with us.”

Will’s eyebrows shot up. For a fleeting second, Nico thought, half-amazed at how Will had so many facial expressions. Will’s expression was like an open book of his thoughts and emotions.

“He’s not going with us?”

Nico shook his head.

“Why?” Will asked, confusion on his face. But before Nico had a chance to answer his question, Will’s face lit up like he just realized something.

“Wait,” he said. “Please tell me that he’s going with Connor.”

Nico let out a gasp. This time it was his eyes widened in shock as he stared at Will.

“How do you know?”

Will made a little cute groaning sound. “God, finally someone makes a move. Did Connor ask Mitchell to go with him or it’s the other way around?”

“Mitchell said Connor asked him. But you haven’t answered my question. How do you know?”

Will looked at Nico incredulously. “Wait. You mean you didn’t realize that those two boys have been flirting since the beginning of the semester?”

Nico blinked. He slowly shook his head. “Have they? Flirting with each other?”

“They obviously have, Nico! I swear that everyone could see the heart eyes that Connor has every time he looks at Mitchell. I can’t believe that it took him _this_ long before he finally had the courage to ask Mitchell out on a date! I swear that if by the end of this school year Connor still didn’t do anything about it, Travis is probably going to step in and ask Mitchell to go out with his brother. Or maybe _I_ will be the one stepping in.”

For one or two seconds, Nico just stared at Will, trying to wrap his mind around what Will just said. Then another thought crossed his mind.

“Wait. So… You’re okay with them going out together, right? On a date?”

Will rolled his eyes. “I am not just okay with it. I am _relieved_ that they finally go out on a date.”

Nico blinked. “Oh,” he said. So many thoughts were running in his head now and he just could not process it at once.

Will stared back at him, then he frowned a little. “Wait. When you asked me whether I was okay with it, what do you mean, exactly?”

Nico bit his lower lip and looked away from Will.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, still held his eyes at the floor.

He could hear Will let out a long sigh.

“Nico,” Will said. “If… If you thought that I don’t approve of a boy going out with another boy, or another girl going out with another girl, for that matter, then I can assure you that I’m totally fine with it.”

Nico turned his head back to Will, and asked him, “Really?”

Will hummed as he nodded. “Of course. I don’t think it’s wrong with someone going out with someone that they are attracted to even if both of them are boys or girls.” He paused and shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, what matters is whether they’re attracted to each other, right? I think that someone should be with whoever that can make them happy, regardless of their gender.”

Will let out another sigh. He ran a hand over his blond curls. “I might be a lot of things. But I am _not_ homophobic.”

Nico still looked at Will. He just could not look away from him. Especially when Will’s cheeks were now flushing with a pretty red color.

Will rubbed the back of his neck. Nico thought that there was a hint of nervousness in those blue eyes as Will held his gaze at Nico.

“And… Uh.. I mean…” Will paused to clear his throat. “I think it would be like super hypocritical for me to be homophobic when…”

Will paused again, looking hesitant. Nico tilted his head a little to the left, giving him a microscopic nod.

“I mean…” Will finally continued, but this time he looked down at the book in front of him. “I also like boys…” he said, voice much lower than before.

What Will said made Nico felt like a strange, heavy weight just lifted up from his chest.

“Oh…” he said, not really knowing what else to say. He knew that somehow Will’s confession made him felt this kind of relief. But he just didn’t know how to react.

Will peeked up at him from his thick eyelashes. “You’re… you’re okay with it, right?”

Nico blinked. “So… So you like…boys?”

“And girls too. I mean, I like both. But… Uh… I think.. I like boys.., more?”

Nico nodded. He was so, so very tempted to do his own confession to Will.

But he didn’t.

So he just nodded, and gave Will a small smile. “Uh. Nice.”

Will looked surprised but then that expression was quickly changed into a relief.

“So you’re okay with it, right? Of me…liking both boys and girls?”

“Of course I’m okay with it!”

“And we’re still friends, right?”

Nico leaned closer to Will from his chair. “Will,” he said. “You’re not just my friend. You’re my _best_ friend.”

Will’s smile was a bright, beautiful one and for a fleeting second, the thought of confessing about his own self crossed his mind again.

Nico pushed the thought away, to the back of his mind. But this time, it wasn’t exactly because of fear. It’s because Nico felt that it wasn’t the time yet.

So in their fourth year in Hogwarts, Nico knew another thing about his best friend. And he knew that one day, his best friend would also know another thing about him.

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos are always appreciated, and reading your comments always makes my day better <3


	5. The Fifth Year - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's their fifth year in Hogwarts, Nico and Will had their first heated argument and Nico just couldn't understand why Will was so upset. Surely it wasn't because Nico was in Hufflepuff and Will was in Ravenclaw, was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you that you're still reading this fic even though I couldn't keep a promise to have a regular update.  
> And here's the thing. At first I planned to have only like, a 1,500-2000 word chapter for the final chapter but of course the fic kind of wrote itself and I ended up with almost 6,000 words. So I decided to cut it into two chapters.  
> So I am posting this one now and then I'll do the dishes and then I'll do a spell check for the next chapter and do the necessary edit so I can post it in like, two or three days.  
> I hope you enjoy this :)

*******

It would be their fifth year in Hogwarts, and even though Nico was in Hufflepuff and Will was in Ravenclaw, Will has decided that this year would be the most exciting year for both of them.

That was the first thing that he declared to Nico when they found an empty compartment in The Hogwarts Express.

“I can’t believe we have to wait until the fifth year before we finally have something exciting!” he said as he sat down.

Nico rolled his eyes as he tiptoed to place his bag on the overhead shelf. “I can’t believe that you think the O.W.L test is even remotely close to exciting,” he said. “Or it’s just a typical Ravenclaw trait of your people?” he added dryly as he turned to look at Nico.

Will’s eyes widened as he stared at Nico. “What? No, I wasn’t talking about that damn test. OWL is exciting only if it’s being canceled.”

“So what is this exciting thing that finally happened, then? The Quidditch Cup? Sure, it is exciting to see my team beating the ass of your team again,” Nico said, sitting down in front of Will.

“Wait. You mean you’re not excited about the Triwizard Tournament?” Will asked, looking at Nico incredulously.

Nico tilted his head a bit to the left as he kept his questioning eyes at Will. “The what Tournament?”

“Neeks! What do you mean you didn’t know about the Triwizard Tournament?”

Nico furrowed down his eyebrows. “Oh, isn’t it the one where we have two other schools sending their students to compete with us?”

“YES! That’s the one!”

“Oh, yeah. I think I’ve heard Jason and Percy were talking about it.”

“Your cousins?”

Nico hummed, leaning back on his seat. “Jason said that he would try to do it while Percy didn’t seem to really care about it,” Nico shrugged his shoulders.

“I won’t be surprised if Jason would be the chosen one. He’s so…” Will paused as he moved his hand vaguely, like trying to find the best word. “I mean, this is more like Gryffindor kind of thing. Bravery and courage and all of those fancy words about pride. And to be fair, I don’t think many people can be better than Jason in representing Gryffindor.”

Nico nodded but before he had a chance to say anything, a figure peeked in from the half-opened door of their compartment.

“Nico?”

Both Nico and Will lifted their heads up to see whose voice was it. But it was Nico who greeted the newcomer.

“Oh, hey Cedric!”

Cedric stretched his lips into a smile. “Nico! I’m so glad to see you again! How was your Summer?”

Nico shrugged his shoulders. “It was okay. How was yours?”

“It was fine. Been missing Quidditch, though.”

Nico raised an eyebrow at Cedric’s words. “I thought you can still play at home? With your siblings and, I don’t know, cousins or other friends?”

Because that was what Nico did during summer, playing Quidditch with Jason and Percy and some others.

( _He also spent quite some time in the summer exchanging letters with Will through their owls but of course, it’s not relevant_ )

“Yeah,” Cedric ran his hands through his hair. “But I mean, it’s not the same without you.” Cedric paused, and cleared his throat. “And the others, I mean.”

Nico thought he heard Will mumbled something from where he was sitting. He turned his head to Will, but before he had a chance to check whether his friend did really say something, Cedric already came up with another question.

“Hey, can I sit here with you?”

Nico’s head snapped back to Cedric. “Huh? What was it?”

“I was won-“

“Mitchell is coming soon to sit with us.” Will cut Cedric’s sentence. And Nico could hear the sharp tone in his voice. He furrowed his eyebrows down as he stared at his friend in confusion. Arms folded over his chest, Will had an uncharacteristically cold expression with lips thinned into a line. He stared at Cedric. Cedric blinked, and gave Will a quick, stiff smile.

“Oh, hey, Solace.”

“Diggory,” Will said, nodded his head just a bit.

Cedric turned his head back to Nico. “Mitchell is going to sit with you?” He shrugged his shoulders a little before continued. “So I guess I can still take the one space left, then?”

The sound of Will clearing his throat made Nico and Cedric turned their head to him.

“Sorry, but I’m pretty sure that since Mitchell is going to sit here, Connor is going to sit here too.”

Nico tilted his head. Will was right. But there was something more than that, hidden behind Will’s words. Something that Nico didn’t understand. He looked back at Cedric, smiling apologetically.

“Yeah. Will’s right. Sorry, Cedric. But I guess I’ll see you around?’

Cedric returned his smile even though Nico could still see a bit of disappointment shadowing over his face.

“Well, okay then. But yeah. I’ll see you around, Nico.”

Once Cedric disappeared from his sight, Nico stared at Will. Will himself was looking out at the window, chin on his hand that he leaned on the windowsill.

“Do you have a problem with Cedric or something?”

“Nope.”

“Then why you seemed to be so upset with him?”

Will turned his head to Nico and there it was again, that strange, foreign expression on Will’s face that Nico rarely saw.

“It was nothing,” Will said. He stretched his lips into a thin line for a second or two as he kept his eyes at Nico. “So you’re friends with Cedric Diggory now? The Hufflepuff’s Golden boy?”

Nico frowned. This wasn’t the Will that he knew of. “Of course. He’s my Captain in Quidditch! You know that!”

Will let out a snort. “Yeah. Sure. So that’s why he kept on showing up wherever you are? Trying to make sure that his best Seeker is doing okay?”

“Will, why do you always seem to be so weird when it comes to Cedric?”

“And why do you have to be so _dense_ all the time?”

Nico gaped at that.

He totally had no idea what Will meant by that. But just before any words came out of him, Mitchell walked into their compartment. Just as expected, Connor was right behind him.

“Hey! I finally found you, guys!” Mitchell said, beaming a smile at them. Then his eyes darted back and forth from Nico to Will.

“Uh… Did I miss something?”

Will rolled his eyes as he leaned back at his seat.

“Nope. Just Nico being dense as usual,” he said as he looked away from Nico to the window.

Connor who was now standing next to Mitchell snorted. “Why do I have a feeling that it had something to do with that wonderful Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain?”

“What?” Nico’s head snapped at Connor. “What is it with you guys and Cedric?”

Mitchell stared at him and it almost looked like he pitied Nico.

“Oh, dear. You are so dense sometimes,” he said as he sat down next to Nico, playfully patted his shoulder.

Nico threw his hands exasperatedly. “I don’t get it! I know that I am not as smart as some Ravenclaws,” he paused to glare at Will, who still stubbornly fixed his eyes at the window. “But I am _not_ dense.”

Mitchell made a _tsk tsk_ sound as he shook his head. Connor just let out another laugh and sat next to Will.

“Of course you’re not, Nico. You’re just oblivious.”

Nico was about to argue, but Connor already waved his hand dramatically.

‘So. Fifth year. I know that it’s O.W.L year but hey, The Triwizard Tournament! Who do you think would be our Champion?”

Mitchell clapped his hands once. “Oh! Yeah! I’m so excited. So. Here’s what I’ve heard about who are the people saying they would put their names on the cup…”

That’s the great thing about Connor and Mitchell. They just knew how to diffuse an awkward and tense situation. Fifteen minutes later, the four of them already talked and laughed like usual, like that stupid argument between Nico and Will never happened.

Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw, which meant that they were in different houses. But Nico was pretty sure that it wasn’t the reason they argued on the first day of their fifth year in Hogwarts. He didn’t know what exactly made Will so upset but what he knew, it wasn’t because they were in different houses.

*******

Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw, and in their fifth year in Hogwarts, neither of them qualified to enter the Triwizard Tournament. Nico’s seventeenth birthday would be in next January and Will would be seventeen years old in three months. But it didn’t bother them at all as none of them were interested to put their names in the cup anyway. Nico was not _that_ competitive and Will said that he’d rather do something because he enjoyed doing it, and not because he wanted, and expected, to win it.

But it was indeed exciting to see students from other schools of magic came to Hogwarts. Nico enjoyed watching the dramatic entrance of the students from the Durmstrang Institute, the exactly simultaneous movements that the boys had as they walked in, walking sticks stomping on the stone floor, now that was something that made Nico stare at them in amazement.

( _Will rolled his eyes when Nico talked to him about how impressive they were. “They’re just showing off,” Will huffed. “But I have to admit that their ship was awesome. I can understand why Leo couldn’t stop talking about it._ ”)

The girls from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic made their entrance with some sort of dance moves. While lots of the boys stared with wide eyes (a few of them even drooled to see the girls), Nico couldn’t help but wondered, that maybe Bianca would have preferred Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. Nico couldn’t help himself but thinking, how Bianca would look lovely in those pale blue uniforms, how she would dance gracefully along with the other girls.

And they had some fun talking and guessing about who would be the Champion from Hogwarts. They knew some of the students who wanted to put their names in the Cup. As expected, Jason was the first one from Hogwarts tossing a piece of paper into the Goblet. Nico, along with the others clapped their hands as Jason turned around, and started walking back to the Gryffindor table. But Jason was just a few steps away from where he tossed the paper when Percy, as dramatic as usual, jumped off his seat from the Hufflepuff table.

“Since my bro Jason has entered the competition, of course I have to join the competition too!”

People from the Hufflepuff table cheered as Percy made his way to where the Goblet was. He pulled a small folded piece of paper. He turned around, showing off the paper that he’s holding. There was a smirk on his face as he kept his eyes at Jason. Jason was still standing where he was, arms folded over his chest. Nico was sitting too far to see Jason’s expression clearly. He turned his head back to Percy, who was now tossing the paper into the Goblet. The fire in the goblet glowed brighter for a second. Percy turned around, and bowed exaggeratedly. People clapped and whistled and laughed as Percy walked back to the long table where other Hufflepuff students were cheering for him.

In the next few days, some other students put their names in the Goblet. Not just the ones from Hogwarts, but also from the other two schools. A boy named Viktor seemed to be the most favorite one from Durmstrang, as it seemed like all the other Durmstrang students gave him a standing ovation as he put the piece of paper into the Goblet. While a pretty girl with long silvery-blonde hair got a warm applause from her Beauxbatons fellows when she gracefully tossed her paper into the Goblet, a beautiful Asian girl from Beauxbatons received half-hearted applause from the Beauxbatons girls when she did the same thing. But Nico couldn’t help but admire the way she walked back to her table, while the girls were whispering to each other, eyes following her. She had her chin up with a fearless expression on her face, like she knew that people were talking about her but she gave zero shit about it.

Mitchell told him that the silvery-blonde girl’s name was Fleur Delacour. And Will told him that the Asian girl was Drew Tanaka. Mitchell knew about Fleur because it seemed like half of the boys in Hogwarts had a sudden crush on her ( _“Maybe because she’s French,” Mitchell said. “French people are mostly charming, I guess,” Mitchell explained._ ). Will knew Drew because they met at the library where somehow, they ended up talking about Japanese traditional medicine. ( _“Drew’s father is Japanese and her mother is French and she and her family live in France now but Drew knows a lot about Japanese medicine and their health philosophy. Isn’t it just so cool?” Will said._ )

And one day, on the last day for students to enter their names into the Goblet, Cedric Diggory tossed a folded piece of paper to the Goblet, right before dinner began. Just like the other Hufflepuff students, Nico clapped his hands. Then Mitchell who was sitting next to him leaned closer to Nico.

“So, which one that you’re going to pick, then? Your cousin, or your captain?” Mitchell whispered.

Nico huffed. “None of them, I guess?”

Not that he hated Cedric. And it didn’t mean that he’s not being supportive to Percy either. But if he’s being completely honest, even though Jason was a Gryffindor, he thought Jason fit the criteria of being a Champion from Hogwarts. Percy was a great person, but this kind of stuff was just not his thing. And Cedric? Well, yeah, Cedric was also a nice person but…

Thinking about Cedric somehow made him thought of how Will had been acting so strange whenever it came to Cedric. Nico quickly looked at the Ravenclaw’s table, and caught Will was staring at him. Just when their eyes met, Will looked down, suddenly seemed to be so invested at whatever it was that was on his plate.

Mitchell nudged his shoulder again.

“It’s too bad that Will isn’t qualified yet to put his name, huh?”

Nico hummed. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m sure that he actually has what it takes to be the Hogwarts Champion.”

As he continued with his dinner, a fleeting thought crossed Nico’s mind. If only Will had been one of the people who also put their names into the Goblet, then Nico would surely be supporting Will to be the Hogwarts Champions, even though Nico was a Hufflepuff, and Will was a Ravenclaw.

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :D.  
> As always, kudos and comments are always very much welcomed! You can also meet me on Tumblr: thebluesideofmyworld


	6. The Fifth Year - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's their fifth year in Hogwarts and finally, Nico realized something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER WOOOHOOOO

*******

Nico di Angelo was a Hufflepuff and Will Solace was a Ravenclaw. And in their fifth year in Hogwarts, just like all the students in Hogwarts, both of them were excited to know who would be the people chosen by The Goblet to compete in the Triwizard Tournament.

Students were gathering in the Main Hall, waiting for Professor Zeus to announce the names. People were whispering to each other, trying to guess whose name would come out. And of course, people have their guesses on who would be representing which School in the Tournament.

Judging from the way people were nodding approvingly as they clapped their hand, apparently, it wasn’t a surprise that Viktor Krum was the name coming out from the Goblet as the Champion from Durmstrang. Even Professor Zeus seemed to be pleased about this. A rare occurrence for the Hogwarts’ Headmaster who usually always found something to scold about. However, a different reaction happened when Professor Zeus read the second paper that popped out from the Goblet.

“The Beauxbatons Champion is…,” Professor Zeus paused, and his eyebrows raised as he stared at the small paper that he was holding. “Drew Tanaka,” he finally said.

There were still some clapping hands, but this time there were also whispers between people. Still, Nico admired the way Drew had her chin up as she walked to the room where the Champions would be gathered. But then he glanced at the Ravenclaw’s table, and he saw Will was standing, clapping his hands with a wide smile painted on his face. Nico looked away. Something weird in his stomach made him feel nauseous and for just a fleeting second, he wished the Beauxbatons Champion had been someone else.

With Drew announced as the Beauxbatons Champion, all Hogwarts students seemed to hold their breaths, waiting for the name representing Hogwarts. Nico glanced at Percy. His cousin had a bored look on his face, like he just wanted everything to be over soon. But Nico saw Percy slightly bouncing his legs, like he was unconsciously trying to release some nervous energy from his system. From Percy, Nico’s eyes darted to Cedric. The tall boy was looking down at his hands that he folded on his lap. As if he knew that Nico was looking at him, Cedric lifted his head up, and gave him a small smile. Nico smiled back, hoping that it looked like an encouraging one, before looking away from Cedric to find Jason.

As usual, Jason had that nonchalant expression while training his eyes at Professor Zeus. He sat up so straight on his seat, like he had an invisible string that kept his back perfectly straight.

The tension in the Hall was almost tangible. Nico could even hear the crackling sound of the fire from the Goblet. A small folded paper popped out for the third time from the Goblet, and Professor Zeus swiftly caught it.

“The Champion from Hogwarts,” he said, looking at all the students with the paper in his hand. He paused, and opened the paper.

This time, he looked even more surprised as he read the name written on the paper. He lifted his head from the paper.

Nico held his breath.

“Annabeth Chase.”

There was silence for a second, before it was being broken by the erupting cheers. People were clapping their hands, nodding in agreement and cheering her name as the blonde girl stood up from where she was sitting. Even Jason, one of the people’s favorites, stood up from his seat to clap and cheer for Annabeth. Among the people, of course, Percy was the loudest one.

“That’s my girl, people! That’s my super awesome girlfriend and _she_ is the Hogwarts _Champion_!” he shouted. He blew a kiss at Annabeth when she glanced at him while she was walking to the Champion’s Room. She rolled her eyes but her cheeks were flushing red. She stopped for a moment to give the teachers a small polite nod before disappeared behind the door.

After dinner, Will ran to find Nico, right when he was about to make his way to the Hufflepuff Common’s Room. Will was grinning so wide and his eyes shine bright.

“So, are you happy with Annabeth becoming the Hogwarts Champions?”

Nico smiled. More because Will was smiling and Will’s smile was just so infectious.

“Of course,” Nico said. “I didn’t expect it to be her. I didn’t even know that she put her name in the Goblet! But I’m sure that Annabeth would nail it. She would do just great. She’s obviously one of the smartest students here in Hogwarts.”

“I guess Professor Athena was right, huh? That even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes,” Will said, as he brushing away some golden curls from his forehead.

Nico nodded. “It’s true,” he said. “Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.”

*******

The first task of the Triwizard Champion involved a dragon. Annabeth got the highest mark by combining some complicated spells to go past the dragon and get the golden egg. Drew who managed to persuasively talk to the dragon to give her the golden egg came in second place. And even though Viktor showed some impressive battling techniques and managed to stun the dragon so he could grab the golden egg, he still came in third place. Probably because the tip of his broom got burned by the dragon’s fire breathing when Viktor tried to escape.

The next thing that got the students excited wasn't exactly the next task of the Tournament. But the Yule Ball.

To be honest, if it wasn’t for Mitchell, Nico probably wouldn’t even know what it was. For the last few days, Mitchell has been spending most of their time talking about the Ball. About how happy he was that Connor asked him to the Ball. About the students that he thought would be going together to the Ball. Et cetera, et cetera.

“Oh, gods, I just hope that I wouldn’t embarrass myself by stepping on Connor’s foot for too many times when we dance in the Ball,” Mitchell said as they were walking out from the Transfiguration class that they just had.

“There would be a dance too?”

Mitchell turned his head to Nico, stared at him exasperatedly.

“It’s the Yule _Ball_ , Nico. Of course there would be some dancing involves.”

“Oh,” Nico said. “Sounds… interesting…”

“By the way,” Mitchell said as they continued walking. “You haven’t told me whether you’re going or no.”

Nico furrowed his eyebrows down. “Do we, like, really have to go?”

Mitchell chuckled. “Well, no. But do you really want to miss this chance to go with someone that you like? It’s almost like the equivalent of a prom party for Muggles!”

For a fleeting second, Will’s smile and his brilliant blue eyes crossed Nico’s mind. He bowed his head down, trying to tell himself that the way his heart skipped a beat meant nothing.

“Uhhh… I don’t know,” he mumbled.

“Well,” Mitchell said. “Maybe you’re not interested in going there yet, but I think I do know some people who would love to go with you.”

“Huh?” Nico lifted his head up to look at Mitchell. But Mitchell had his eyes at someone, whom he was waving at.

“Hey, Cedric!”

Nico’s head snapped to the direction where Mitchell was waving at. Cedric Diggory was walking towards them, a small smile on his lips. He stopped just a few steps away from them.

“Hey, Nico. I was just looking for you.”

“Aaanddd that’s my cue to leave,” Mitchell said, along with a teasing smirk on his lips. “So. I’ll see you in the Common Room, Nico?”

Mitchell didn’t give him a chance to reply though, as he already waved goodbye before leaving him with Cedric.

Before Nico could really process what just happened, Cedric cleared his throat. Nico blinked and slowly turned his head back to Cedric.

“You were looking for me?”

Probably it was just Nico’s imagination, but Cedric’s cheeks seemed to blush as he smiled nervously at him.

“Uhm. Yeah.”

Nico raised an eyebrow as he fiddled with the strap of his bag. “And?”

“So. What’s up?”

Nico shrugged. “Nothing much,” he said. “Busy. But with this whole Tournament thing, at least the professors seemed to give us less homework than usual.”

“Oh. Yeah. The Tournament.”

For a moment, it looked like a dark cloud hanging over Cedric’s face. Guilt crept in Nico. Probably he shouldn’t have said anything about the Tournament, considering that Cedric was among those who put their names into the Goblet.

“It’s too bad that the Hogwarts Champions is not from Hufflepuff, huh?” Cedric said. He let out a small chuckle. “But I am sure that Annabeth would do great. She did an awesome job in the first task.”

“Yeah. She’s doing great so far in The Tournament.”

The tips of Cedric’s lips curled up into a small smile. “That trick she did to confuse the dragon was really cool.”

Nico nodded. “It was. But you know what, Cedric?”

Cedric tilted his head to the left, looking at Nico with questioning eyes.

“I’m sure that if you were the Hogwarts Champions, you would do as amazing as Annabeth.” Nico paused for a while. “I mean, you’re a cool person. You might not be the one representing Hogwarts in this tournament, but I still think that you’re a great person. You don’t need to be the Hogwarts Champions to be a cool person. You already are.”

Cedric stared at Nico, and a smile slowly bloomed on his lips. “Thanks, Nico. It… It really means a lot.”

Nico smiled back at him. Cedric was indeed, a good person. He’s been a great Captain for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and being in the same House, Nico knew how Cedric treated other people.

“So. Uhm… I was… I was looking for you, you know?”

Nico’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Oh, yeah! What is it?”

“Well, yeah. So. You… You know about the Yule Ball thing, right?” Cedric asked. He ran his hand over his head as he kept his eyes at Nico.

 _The Yule Ball_.

Nico stared at Cedric as he could feel his heartbeat started racing. In front of him, Cedric had a small smile on his lips.

Suddenly, it all clicked now for Nico.

And oh, so maybe Will was right. Maybe everyone was right. All this time, he had been so stupidly oblivious. But now, suddenly it all clicked and Nico finally got it.

Still, Nico’s heartbeat raced with anticipation as Cedric locked eyes with him.

“Nico, would you go to the Yule Ball with me? As my date?”

*******

The library was the first place that Nico went to when he tried to find Will. He walked straight to the shelves that held books about medicine and healing techniques, but Will wasn’t there. There was only a girl with Beauxbatons uniform, who lifted her head up from the book that she was reading when Nico walked to that section.

At first, Nico didn’t pay attention to that girl as he was too busy looking around, trying to find Will. Until he heard the girl’s voice.

“Hey, are you looking for someone?”

Nico turned his head to her, and blinked when he realized that it was Drew Tanaka.

“Uh, hey. Yeah. I was looking for-“

“Will Solace?”

Strange jealousy flared inside Nico’s stomach. He stretched his lips into a thin line when he nodded. “Yeah. I was looking for him.”

Drew stared at him with a strange look, like Nico was like a secret code that she’s trying to solve. Nico shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

“So, did you-“

“You’re Nico, right? Nico di Angelo?”

Nico blinked in surprise. “Uh… yeah?”

Drew gave him a small smile, that looked more like a smirk. “So you’re the Nico that Will kept on talking about.”

Nico’s heart skipped a beat. “Huh?”

Drew looked down again at the book that she was reading. “Yeah. He kept on talking about you,” she said. Then she looked up again to lock his eyes at Nico. “And I am pretty sure that _you,_ are the reason why he refused to go to The Yule Ball with me.”

Nico forgot to breathe for a second.

“He what?” he said. He shook his head, trying to make sense of the thing that Drew just told him. “You... you-“

“Yes. I asked him to go to The Yule Ball with me. He said no. And I am pretty sure that it’s because of you.”

Nico took a sharp breath. “I… I’m sorry…”

He didn’t even know what he was sorry for. To be honest, he just didn’t know what else to say. Too many things were running in his head at the moment.

Drew chuckled. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“But… Still…”

Drew waved her hand dismissively. “Seriously. It’s fine. Just do me a favor, will you? Go find him and…” Drew moved her hands again in a vague circle. “Talk to him. Work things out. Just… whatever. From the way he talked about you, I feel like you two have this stupid pining over each other stuff going on.”

“Uh…”

“Just go,” Drew looked at him but this time, she looked a bit amused. “Talk to him. Talk with each other. Be honest about what you feel.”

Nico’s heart started beating again and this time it beat so fast and he could only think of Will and what he wanted to say to him.

“Okay,” he said. “I will.”

Drew smiled. “Off you go, then.”

Nico bit his lower lip. “Hey, Drew?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

Drew nodded, and looked down again. She had her eyes on her book with a blank expression, like the conversation never happened.

“And Drew?”

“Hm?” Drew hummed, but didn’t look up.

“Good luck with the Tournament. You deserve to be the Beauxbatons Champions.”

This time, when she looked up to hold her eyes at Nico, the look in her eyes were soft and her smile was a sincere one.

“Thanks, Nico. It means a lot.”

*******

Nico knew Will quite well. So he knew the place that he should go next to find Will. And just like he expected, he found Will sitting by the lake, leaning his back on one of the big trees surrounding the lake.

Nico walked slowly to where Will was sitting, and sat down right next to him. Will glanced at him and gave him a quick small smile.

“Hey,” he said, and stared back at the lake. The water was glistening under the blue sky.

“I was looking for you, you know?”

“Really?”

Nico hummed. “Went to the library and didn’t find you there. But I met Drew there.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.”

Silence for a while. Then Nico sighed. “She told me that she asked you out. To the Yule Ball.”

Nico still had his eyes at the lake, but he could feel Will got tense.

“She told you that?”

Nico hummed as he nodded. “And it was such a coincidence.”

This time, Will turned his head to Nico. There were creases on his forehead as he looked at Nico. “What do you mean?”

Nico glanced at Will for a second, then shrugged his shoulders. “The same thing happened to me.”

“She asked you out too?”

Nico chuckled. “No. I mean, someone also asked me out to the Yule Ball,” he said, keeping his eyes at Will’s eyes.

A shadow fell over Will’s face. He quickly looked away from Nico.

“I don’t even need to guess,” Will said, half-mumbled. His hand found a small rock that he threw to the lake.

“I told him no, though.”

Will’s head snapped to look back at Nico.

“What?”

Nico tried to hold back a smile as he locked his eyes at Will’s blue eyes. There were small creases on Will’s forehead, like he was trying to decide whether Nico was joking or no.

“I won't be going to the Ball with him. I told Cedric that it was so nice of him to ask me to the Ball, but no.”

“But…but… Why?” Will shook his head a little. Like he couldn’t really believe what Nico just told him.

“Because…” Nico paused to take a deep breath. He exhaled, then braced himself to continue. “Because I want to go to the Yule Ball with you.”

Will’s jaws fell open as he stared at Nico, blue eyes widened with surprise.

“You… Really?”

Nico hummed. “Yeah. I mean, now that I think about it, maybe I should have asked you in a more…special way. Like, maybe a more romantic way?” Nico cringed as the words fell from his lips. Suddenly embarrassment rushed in his vein, making a strange heat crept on the back of his neck.

He sighed again. He looked away from Will as suddenly he couldn’t bear to look at Will.

“But when Cedric started talking about the Ball, I suddenly realized that I could only think of doing that kind of thing with you,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

He bit his lower lip, and gathered all the courage that he had left to look up at Will. “Because I like you, Will. I really _like_ you. And I mean, yeah, we’re friends, we’re _best_ friends ever since we got here but now I realized that for me, it’s more than that.”

He let out a rather shaky breath. His heart was beating so fast, too fast. “And please don’t ask me since when I felt this way because I honestly had no idea. I just… I just know that’s how I feel about you. And I am really sorry that it took me so long to realize it but…” Nico sighed again. “Well… yeah…”

Nico looked down. Unconsciously, his hand pulled some strands of grass from the ground and he started fiddling with them.

For a while, there was only silence between them. Nico wished he could say something else to break it. But even though there were so many things running in his mind right now his brain couldn’t seem to process any words to say to Will.

“Oh, wow…” Will said. “I… I don’t know what to say, Neeks…”

Nico cringed. “Uhm. You could say yes, maybe? I mean, yes, you would want to go to the Ball with me. But only if you want to,” he said, peeking up at Will from his eyelashes.

Will let out a laugh that gave Nico the confidence to lift his head up.

“Of course I want to, Neeks. Of course I would say yes,” he said. He smiled at Nico and the smile was just as bright as the summer sunshine. “I mean, I just… I just don’t know how to tell you that no matter how you do it, you asking me to go to the Ball with you is like, the second-best thing that happened to me.”

Nico raised his eyebrows. “Second? What the first best thing, then?”

Will’s smile was now a soft one and his eyes, his eyes were also smiling when he whispered. “Knowing that you like me too. _That_ , is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Nico let out a breath of relief. Will wrapped an arm around his waist and Nico let Will pulled him into his embrace. Nico buried his face against Will’s chest and he was smiling so wide, his heart was too big for his chest.

So in their fifth year in Hogwarts, on a winter night where the castle was decorated with silver stars and snowflakes, Will and Nico came to the Yule Ball together. Nico wore a black robe with a yellow bow tie to show that he was a Hufflepuff while Will’s robe had a silver lining and he wore a blue bow tie that matched his eyes because he was a Ravenclaw.

In their fifth year in Hogwarts, five years after The Sorting Hat put Nico into Hufflepuff and Will into Ravenclaw, they had their first kiss under the mistletoe when they were dancing. And it was probably one of the most cliché things ever, but for Nico, it was as perfect as it can be because it was with Will, and it’s all that matter.

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everyone who have spared their time to read this fic. This is one of the fics that kind of refused to left my head before it's being written down (you have no idea how the words "Nico di Angelo was in Hufflepuff and Will Solace was in Ravenclaw" haunted my mind for weeks before I had the energy to actually write it down). But to be honest, I enjoyed writing this. So I hope that you also enjoy reading this :).  
> Now that I have written this idea down, I actually have another AU idea in my head so hopefully I can also write that one down too.  
> Anyway, thanks again for all your support. It really, REALLY means a lot <3\.   
> Please, do let me know what you think about this fic. Reading your comments always become the highlight of my day :D


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